This disclosure relates to a gas turbine engine, and more particularly to a component that includes a core having at least one surface indicator visible near an exit surface of the core to indicate whether the component is within an acceptable manufacturing tolerance.
Gas turbine engines typically include a compressor section, a combustor section and a turbine section. In general, during operation, air is pressurized in the compressor section and is mixed with fuel and burned in the combustor section to generate hot combustion gases. The hot combustion gases flow through the turbine section which extracts energy from the hot combustion gases to power the compressor section and other gas turbine engine loads.
Due to exposure to hot combustion gases, some components of a gas turbine engine may include cooling circuits that receive and circulate cooling airflow to cool various internal and external surfaces. Such cooling circuits may include microcircuits that are disposed within a body portion of the component to create a dual wall configuration. The microcircuits are in fluid communication with a cavity of the cooling circuit and the exterior surface of the body portion.
In order to exit the component, the exit surface of the core is bulged above the nominal surface of the body portion and may be covered with wax (prior to casting). This wax subsequently becomes a raised metal surface surrounding the exit in the cast component. The raised surface must typically be ground off by hand to provide flush or near flush core exits.